Fuse (New Ability)
One of the new abilities prescribed to Link in Tears of the Kingdom is Fuse — a handy little tool that will allow the Hero of Hyrule to stick two or more objects together to make something new.
This can be used to strengthen weapons (a humble stick turns into a makeshift hammer by Fusing it with a boulder) or make combat that little bit easier (attach a Keese Eyeball to an arrow for a homing attack).
It also looks like you can use this ability to go all tactical and lure your enemies into a trap. The gameplay trailer showed Link fusing a Puffshroom to his shield and using it to blind an oncoming enemy. It might not be the best-looking mode of defence, but we have to admit that’s clever.
We’ll give Fuse just one section for the moment, but the crafting possibilities and multiple ways available to solve any given problem by fusing different items and objects together is one of the most exciting elements we seen of the game so far.
Recall (New Ability)
Recall is another new ability about which we have been pondering since one of the earliest game trailers. This power gives you the chance to rewind an object’s movements, allowing you to jump onboard falling rocks and ride them back up to the Sky Islands.
An object being recalled can also be stopped along the way, letting you ride a rock to a certain level before jumping off to explore an area slightly lower down.
Might we be able to use this ability like Stasis from Breath of the Wild and get creative in our combat? We really hope so. Come on, you can’t deny that the idea of trapping enemies under pre-fallen debris isn’t a kinda cool one.
Ultrahand (New Ability)
Much like the Fuse ability, the Ultrahand can be used to make traversing Hyrule’s vast and (let’s admit it) often punishing landscape a bit quicker. Instead of swimming across wide rivers or climbing to great heights, you can build a boat or a hovercraft to get you there faster — a proper chance to get creative.
By positioning different materials, the Ultrahand ability (the name of which is surely a nod to Nintendo’s very first toy, the Ultra Hand) sticks them together with a gooey green substance.
The customisation available looks extensive — there isn’t just one set of ‘snap points’ on a log, for example. As shown in the trailer, manoeuvring the two objects together and making slight adjustments to their positioning will cause them to stick together in different ways. Plenty of potential for personalised vehicles, by the looks of it.
Looking at the small amount of Hyrule that we have seen from the trailer, it looks like there are materials lying around all over the place which can be picked up and built into some mode of transport.
Ascend (New Ability)
We’ve all got stuck in Breath of the Wild trying to make it to a high-up area but unable to see a way up, right? Ascend is a new ability that lets Link leap through overhead surfaces and appear on the level above them.
The trailer shows this power in action with Link heading into a cave before ascending through the ceiling onto the mountainside above. Best of all, going through deeper surfaces even comes with a cool swimming animation that we can’t help but love.
It’s yet another sign of that green-flowing energy that we have seen circling the Shrines in previous trailers. We know that the Sheikah Slate was integral to entering these areas in Breath of the Wild, so perhaps the powers emanating from Link’s gammy arm will serve as a stand-in this time around.
Sky Diving
As the famous saying goes, “what goes up, must come down” and when we are talking about a game with literal islands in the sky, this seems to be even more truthful.
Ascending or Recalling looks to be some of the main ways up to these areas, but getting down seems like a much cooler affair. Bringing back the Paragliding mechanics from Breath of the Wild, you will be able to jump (or fall) off of the floating islands and either free fall to take in the view or dive straight down to get there faster.
This can all be capped off with an elegant plop into some nearby water if your aim is precise enough — just don’t go hitting dry land…
Tears of the Kingdom-Themed Switch OLED
Away from pure gameplay details, the trailer also gave us our first official look at the long-rumoured special edition Tears of the Kingdom Switch OLED, plus a Pro Controller and Carrying Case.
These are all to be released over the coming months and you can find the full information in our coverage below.